Where does one find locally grown honey? I am in the Santa Barbara area and would not have a clue to know who to even ask. Maybe the local Trader Joes?
Look up the word Apiary in the yellow pages. That is the term for a honey bee farmer! Also, look for a local Farmer’s Market or health food store. I live in the boonies of Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mnts...and there are signs on the side of the road saying “buy honey here”...so I am fortunate I don’t have to look far :>)
“Where does one find locally grown honey? I am in the Santa Barbara area and would not have a clue to know who to even ask. Maybe the local Trader Joes?”
In N California we get it from farmers’s markets, local grocery stores not chains and maybe your yellowpages can help.
Many apple orchards also maintain bee hives to help pollination, and often sell the honey. Try to find one in your area.
Check the labels at the stores. I live in Missouri and there are two brands sold that are locally grown at regular grocery stores. Your best bets are mid-sized regional stores. That is not where I get my honey though. Check your local paper archives to see if there have been any special interest articles on honey or beekeeping in the past few years. In our paper they had an article about a guy who keeps bees fairly close to where I live. It also listed where the honey is sold. I get it from a local tourist gift shop.
Fair warning - local honey may have a grassy taste
GOP Poet, I’m a beekeeper in the midwest so I have no personal knowledge of local sources for you. I suggest that you look at the listing on the BeeSource forum.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214430
ND
Try local produce markets, orchards and the Co-op. With all of the agriculture in your area there should be no problem finding it.
Call your local county extension agent or agricultural representative. Also call local agricultural stores for more information. Is there a farmer’s market in your area? You should easily find sources for honey.
It is best to get honey from within 20 miles of your own home.